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by RedMoon616



Series: Matt & Mackenzie's Most Memorable Moments [9]
Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Dark fic, Established Relationship, F/M, Human Trafficking, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Post-Season/Series 01, Rescue Missions, Vigilantism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:01:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26731798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedMoon616/pseuds/RedMoon616
Summary: A slew of kidnappings leaves the police and the vigilante couple searching not only for the victims but for the unknown captors as well. But when Matt gets to close to the truth, it will be in Mackenzie's hands to rescue the missing people alongside her boyfriend.Ninth part of a series of short stories contemplating the sometimes usual, but mostly unusual, life of Matt & Mackenzie. A continuation (kinda) of Daring the Devil.
Relationships: Matt Murdock/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Matt & Mackenzie's Most Memorable Moments [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607302
Kudos: 2





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**Author's Note:**

> This is the ninth part of a series that focuses on the everyday life of Murdock and his girlfriend Mackenzie, and how has their relationship evolved after the events of Daring the Devil (which I recommend you check out first if you haven't, to have some context and back story). Hope you enjoy!

You know, after the serial killer I really thought that things couldn’t get much worse. And in a sense, they haven’t, but boy is this new shit fucked up. I mean, people being tortured, raped, and killed was horrific, of course, but at least they showed up, even if dead. (Dark, I know. I’m sorry.) The people going missing now…nobody has seen them yet. And yeah, people disappear all the time, unfortunately; more than you would imagine. But this feels like the psycho all over again, sans the corpses turning up after a few days since the victim’s disappearance.

This time tho, the demographic is on the younger side, both male and female, mostly from the neighborhoods that house lower-income families. So we are already suspecting something related to human trafficking. Whoever is kidnapping all those kids, teenagers, and young adults, must be selling them into sex work. Or even worse, to the kind of monster that will use and dispose of them like the asshole I killed.

Naturally, this is more worrisome than the demented killer case, ‘cause we are talking about pretty young people here. And if Murdock was already running himself to the ground where the murderous bastard was concerned…he’s probably about to inadvertently kill himself trying to stop what’s happening now. I don’t blame him, I feel the same way. Even worse, probably, ‘cause I have that itch that I can’t scratch, telling me to straight-up off whoever is behind this new string of abductions.

Matt can surely sense that somehow, because he has been even more reticent to allow me to help in this case than he was on the last one. Well, maybe it would also have to do with the fact that I’m basically the targeted demographic of whatever psycho is breeding chaos this time around, but I can defend myself. Alright, okay, you don’t need to remind me that I was one-upped by the psycho. I still came out alive while he’s rotting in his grave.

Look, the point is, that after finding out that the nutjob killer was after us all along, I don’t feel comfortable with Matthew going after another really fucked up crazy person all on his own. He needs back up as much as I do. And we make the best team ever anyway. So I’m not letting him keep me locked up in the apartment. I’ll rather be taken while patrolling at night with him than just let something awful happen to him.

It seems like we can’t catch a break, to be honest. And I don’t mean that about the general crime going on in the city. We never take breaks (unless practically forced to, which is when we need to heal), we don’t want to either, because there’s always something going on that needs our involvement. I’m just talking about sick people like the killer and this new individual or group. Even when Daredevil has taken on mobs that deal with human trafficking before, this ain’t the same somehow. It feels more sinister if that’s even possible. Something way darker is going on here and we don’t even know what it is or who is behind it.

We are going crazy all over again, and I barely fully recovered from my wounds (except the fingernails, those are still going; I’m halfway there, livin’ on a prayer…). It feels like we are back at square one, running around aimlessly as we were when chasing the psycho. Murdock is even back to working with Mahoney on the side, no matter that there’s absolutely no leads this time. I mean, as bad as it sounds, at least last time there were bodies. Now there’s nothing. No evidence, no trace. No one is asking for ransom, nor are any people that went missing showing up –either dead or alive–. It really feels like searching for a needle in a haystack, in complete darkness. It’s just so fucking frustrating.

Our best chance to get some intel right now is to start asking around the criminal underworld. Maybe somebody will know some shit that can get us closer to the truth. I mean, if it really is about sex labor, they need to have a big operation. After all, the number of people disappearing is growing. Whoever is behind the abductions must either sell the victims or kill them and hide them real good. People don’t just drop from the face of the Earth on their own. At least not these many. Guess we’ll just have to keep pushing gangsters around until someone lets something slip if nobody is willing to confess. They either don’t know jack shit or are very loyal (which actually means fucking scared, ‘cause money can’t cut it forever), because so far we got nothing from any asshole we have “interviewed”.

Besides, I got a really bad feeling about this. And nor only that something utterly wrong is happening to these people going missing, but that something worse might happen. The scariest part is that it feels _personal_ , somehow. As if what happened with the killer will happen again to me or Murdock. I know it’s kind of irrational or misjudged, ‘cause, out of us two, I’m clearly the more desirable to those fucks. Yet they could try (and maybe even succeed) to kill him if he gets to close or finds them. It’s just a gut feeling, but when this kind of matter is concerned, those usually turn out to be right in the end. I don’t want anything bad happening to him; I’ll rather take his place.

In summary, we have spent almost every waking hour doing our best to find anything about either the missing people's whereabouts or the identities of the bastards that took them. We are tired beyond belief at this point, both physically and mentally, but we’ll hold on tight to even the smallest piece of hope we can procure ourselves with. We can’t throw the towel yet, if ever. We can’t just leave all those innocent kids to be swallowed by the black market and never seen again. They deserve at least our biggest effort; we need to search until we can no longer stand. I’ll fucking collapse before giving up. And I know for certain that Matt feels the same.

Still, I feel like if we don’t at least take a little breather every once in a while, we _will_ collapse due to exhaustion. Or even worse, we might set back our own barely existing progress. Night after night going out, looking for every lowlife we can find and doing our best to extract every last bit of information they have about anything even remotely related to this case. It takes a toll on you, let me tell ya. At times, it feels like I’m dead on my feet, almost literally.

And I can see that Murdock ain’t faring much better. We are like zombies during the day, and it’s taking its toll on Matt’s performance at the firm. Thank God, Foggy and Karen know about his double life at this point, ‘cause I don’t see Matthew having the mental capacity to come up with fairly plausible-sounding excuses when he’s so fucking tired. Dodged a bullet there for sure. However, bickering around the office can be heard regarding the matter and how it is affecting everyone. Can’t be helped, really.

We’ll just have to endure until this matter is resolved and the victims are found. Or, in the worst-case scenario, until we at least manage to stop those bastards. Meanwhile, we won’t give up and we’ll continue to look for all of them. Maybe, if we don’t find the missing people wherever we catch their abductors, we might get some intel that redirects us to the whereabouts of the kids and teens that were taken. That could be a step forward in our mission to recover those who disappeared, in the case that the ones behind it all refuse to spill the beans. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind torturing them until they give up everything they know. And something tells me that if we **do** find them, Matt will do exactly that before I can even get my hands on any guilty asshole.

But despite how hopeless the search seems, I can’t shake the nagging feeling that something bad is lurking around the corner, ready to pounce on us. It would just take a second, a tiny miscalculation; a small misstep of neglect. And then it could all go to shit so quickly that a blink later someone would have to deal with the ruined remains left behind –if any were found, at that–. I know I’m being super pessimistic, more than usual even, but I can’t help it, really. This unwarranted anxiety just won’t let me be; like a growing void that threatens to swallow me whole. I mean, even against all odds we have always overcome every obstacle, so what could be different this time around?

Well, that’s to say if he even **lets** me near any of those fuckers, to begin with. He has been overbearingly overprotective ever since he found me in the “lion’s den” all beaten and bloody. It’s understandable, I get it, but it’s borderline ridiculous at this point. He has to come to terms with the fact that he can’t keep me from every kind of harm there is. And I know that what happened with the psycho was exactly what he had been fearing right from the beginning when I first asked him to train me. You can already guess that he tried to use my kidnapping and torture as a reason to keep me from my vigilante work.

I had to naturally remind him that it was fucking unfair and straight-up hypocritical coming from him since I wouldn’t pull the same shit on him if the roles were reversed. Took him a while to process that one and to manage his overwhelming fears and worries, but in the end, he came through and we agreed to be more vigilant (haha, get it?) when going out at night. I also had to promise not to do “anything stupid” unless extremely necessary (say, if an innocent person’s life were at risk). Sometimes you just have to compromise.

But what really got to ease his nerves a little, was something I did behind his back although it benefits both of us. And I didn’t consult with him first, nor even tell him, because I knew he would resist and complain despite it being the most reasonable thing to do given the past circumstances in which we have unfortunately found ourselves more than one. So, basically, I put trackers in our suit. Well, more accurately, Melvin put them in the suits. I just took the clothes to him and gave him the chips Elektra got me.

Okay, you must be a bit confused right now? Let me explain. After I was left bedridden by the killer and had a lot of time in my hands, I decided to talk to Elektra out of pure boredom and I told her about what happened. She was concerned and wished me a speedy recovery, also commenting that I did the right thing (regarding killing the psycho, but that’s not important here). It was then, while bringing up Matt’s struggle to find me, that she came with the idea of getting trackers for ourselves. That way we could be able to always find the other (unless the chips got lost, damaged, or destroyed, of course).

Obviously, I thought that it was a great idea but that it would be a problem for me to get them. Not only because I would have to convince Murdock, but because I didn’t have the money to get really good ones. After all, we usually end up in places that are not that easy to access, thus we would need some military-grade shit for the plan to really work. That’s when she offered to get a few (yes, even backups) and send them to the apartment. I said I was really grateful for her offer, but that I couldn’t accept such a gift; she just said not to sweat it. That it was “compensation” for helping her that time at the gala.

I wanted to point out that she already gave me the sai, but I was kind of desperate to get the trackers, so I just thanked her profusely. We then ended the call –which took place while Matthew was out– by agreeing to arrange the delivery of the stuff at a time not only I was able to move and get it myself from the door, but also when Matt would be out of the apartment (to not be caught red-handed before I could even explain).

After the package arrived, carried via private delivery service, I just had to figure out where to sew or glue the things into the suits. I chose them instead of our cell phones, or something else like that because it would be more secure that way. And despite that we sometimes engage in vigilante-related activity during the day, when we are wearing civilian clothing, we are more in danger during the night while on patrol. Problem was, I couldn't figure out a safe way to do it, nor a good place to put them in. Also, it was around that time that Murdock caught wind of what I was plotting. We argued about it, but he ended up realizing and understanding that it’s the best option.

Having Matt’s somewhat reluctant (since the pieces of tech came straight from his ex-girlfriend) agreement, all that was left to do was to get the suits to Mr. Potter’s shop. Conveniently enough, a few days after that, Daredevil’s suit got torn and needed mending. So, Matt took the opportunity to take my suit as well down to Melvin’s workshop and ask the kind man to make the little improvements to both suits while repairing Murdock’s. Thankfully, the engineer agreed without much trouble, and soon enough we had the suits back in our possession.

Now, we can comfortably track each other as long as we are wearing the suits. And yes, the tracking device is configured so that Matt can use it without a problem. He might need it less than me, ‘cause he has his powers, but you can never know when that won’t be enough to find me if things go sideways. We both would be lying if we said we don’t feel a little more at ease now, having this sort of safety net that we can rely on. As far as it concerns me, I sleep a bit easier at night. Oh, and the chips also have an added feature that’s a distress or “panic” button, which if pressed for a few seconds sends an alert to the tracker’s receptor device. That way we can know if the other is in trouble and needs aid. Pretty neat, huh?

Anyway, I’m hoping that tonight –as the past few nights since we got the suits back– the tracker will function without a problem and will do its job if shit hits the fan for Murdock. Right now we are enjoying a bit of downtime after dinner before he leaves for patrol. What I always do while he’s out is basically stare at the dot that represents him on the screen of the tracking device until I fall asleep, hoping that I won’t be abruptly woken up because something’s wrong.

“Seriously, what is wrong with this city?” I inquire almost out of the blue, completely unprompted, having been buried in my own thoughts for the past couple of minutes. I’m currently sitting on the couch, with my legs propped up on the coffee table, while Matthew is lying next to me. He has his head resting on my lap so, of course, I’m carding my fingers through his soft brown locks while lightly scratching his scalp. A bit of pampering ain’t bad before a night of kicking criminal ass.

“There’s nothing wrong with the city”, Matt argues softly, almost dozing off thanks to my ministrations. He’s so relaxed, looking all cute and young. Wish I could keep him here tonight. “Some of the people living in it are the ones who are fucked up”. He’s got a point, I’ll admit that. But despite not being _everyone_ in the city, there are still a lot of people involved in the criminal underworld one way or another. Shit, if you extend the limits to include corporate assholes, shady bankers, and all those kinds of scum, the numbers grow even bigger. So it’s definitely more than a **few** people.

“But how many people then?” I ask louder this time, almost rhetorically. Actually, I think I nearly startled him with a sudden increase in volume in my voice. “‘Cause this is happening just a few months after a psycho killed eight people one per week. And that’s on top of all the criminal shit that’s taking place every day and night”, I point out impatiently, not wanting to start an argument but feeling restless about my impotence regarding the current situation. I just wanna go out and catch those bastards before they keep dragging innocents into whatever twisted shit they are up to.

“This city is infected, and it’s dying because of it”, I explain while ignoring Murdock’s attempts to soothe and placate my rising anger with his gentle touch. I understand what he’s trying to do and why, but still, how can he remain so calm. To be honest his outward neutral demeanor is starting to piss me off a little. Not because he doesn’t seem bothered by the problem we are discussing, but because he sounds…almost resigned.

Like he knows that there’s nothing that he can do to fundamentally and permanently change things in this city. As if he already made peace with the fact that he’ll have to keep doing this until the day he dies, be it tomorrow or in 30 years. I can’t accept that. There has to be an end, right? A finish line; I'm striving for it.

“Yes, you’re right, but that’s exactly why we do what we do”, he insists while sitting up and facing me. Damn it, I shouldn’t have stopped caressing his head. “The city needs us; we can’t just leave it to suffer at the hands of criminals”. Of course not, Murdock! Do you think I’m an idiot? Or even worse, an asshole? I know we have to keep going, and I _want_ to. But for how long? That’s my question, my whole point. How long will we have to fight criminals and endanger our lives alongside the lives of those who we care about? Forever? I don’t think I can commit for that long. It’s just too much.

“But it never ends, Matt”, I protest dejectedly, sounding like a child throwing a tantrum. I hate feeling like this, but I'm not just gonna swallow my truth and spit back out a lie. “And sometimes I’m just so done with it, so exhausted”. Sometimes, I just want to be able to have dinner out with my boyfriend, to read for a long while, to sleep peacefully, or to even go on vacation. All that without having to worry about something bad happening to an undeserving person just because I wasn’t there to prevent it. I want to be able to have a life outside being a vigilante, as selfish as that sounds. I still want to help people, but so far, I haven’t been able to find a balance between my two lives.

“I know, sweetheart, I know”, Matt says soothingly, caressing both of my cheeks with his two, bruised-knuckles-bearing hands, while staring intently into my eyes (probably). It would be comforting if I didn’t feel such a heavy void inside of me. “I feel the same way, and I have come close to giving up sometimes in the past. And I’m sure it’ll happen in the future as well”, he confesses while looking down (at my lap?), his unguarded eyes showing how conflicted he feels.

“But if I give in, people I could have saved will get hurt. That’s all I need to keep going on”. Yeah, I know the sentiment; I feel that same pull in my conscience. I just wish I could turn it off from time to time, so I wouldn’t feel stressed the hell out 24/7. It doesn’t matter if it’s day or night; if I’m at the office, the apartment, or out on patrol. Wherever, whenever, either at the front of my mind or at the back, I’m always thinking about it. _**Non-stop**_. I just need a fucking break, that’s all.

Matt continues to gaze almost dazedly at me for a few more seconds, surely trying to figure out if I finally calmed down enough to get up. He doesn’t like to leave when I’m in a sour mood, so he always tries to make sure I’m at least in a neutral emotional state before he goes out. I’m thankful for the caring concern, but I’m not mad at him this time, so it shouldn’t even be necessary.

“We’ll keep talking about it tomorrow, if you feel up to it, okay?” He assures me once he realizes he won’t be able to improve my mood anymore tonight. “Right now I should head out. I’m meeting with Frank to see if he has any information that can lead me towards the people behind the kidnappings”. Well, isn’t that new? And seeing the slightly guilty and flustered expression on his face, I confirm that he certainly was avoiding to tell me until the last minute. Little shit. He’s obviously not gonna say anything else, nor defend himself. I better just drop it for now.

I hum noncommittally and he leaves to get changed. In the meantime, I waste no time to grab the tracking device, leaving it at the ready right beside me. By the time Matt exits the bedroom, he's clad in full Daredevil regalia. Another night he goes looking for God knows what kind of monster, without me at his side as his partner, or at least as backup. Fuck. You better stay safe and alert Murdock, or I swear I’ll raise hell all over the city looking for your self-righteous and self-destructive ass. I can already feel this will be a long night, and it has barely started yet. With a last goodbye kiss, he’s up the stairs in no time and out of the rooftop door, bound for who knows what destiny.

* * *

Hey, we have a problem. Or at least **I** have one. Murdock’s gone missing and I have no idea where the fuck he is. I’m growing restless and going insane; I need to find him before it’s too late. The fucking tracker stopped working a few days ago, the signal is blocked or something. At this point, I don’t know what to do anymore; I’m so out of my frickin’ depth. He’s usually (more like every time) the one who carries on the searches, like a fucking bloodhound, but now I’m entirely on my own. Fuck, I went through all the trouble to get those fucking chips and when I need them to work well the most, they fail me. The hell am I gonna do now?

Alright, let me think. Last thing Matt mentioned to me before he left three nights ago was that he was going to meet with Castle. The former marine apparently had some information that could be of help to our case, but whatever he said to Murdock seems that could only be interpreted correctly by him as well. I went to see him and we talked; I told him that I haven’t seen or heard from Matt since the last time they crossed paths with each other.

He shared with me the same intel he gave my boyfriend, but it hasn’t been of much help at all. Whatever was the key element that drove Matthew in the right direction (which is what I’m theorizing that happened, that he found the kidnappers), I haven’t been able to decipher it yet. Maybe I’ll never manage to do it, and all I got left is the hope that the fucking tracker will regain signal and start working again before it’s too fucking late.

I already said it before, so I don't think it’s necessary to say it again, but…if I lose him, I lose everything. Fuck’s sake, I don’t even want to be thinking about this, but I’m seriously grasping at straws right now. The only thing that occurs to me that could solve the problem is that I continue to go out and search the city carrying the tracking device with me, in the hope that the chip just went out of range –losing signal that way– and that I’ll eventually connect again if I have it on me while searching.

Perhaps, if I get closer to wherever the tracker is –and Murdock as well, if we are lucky enough and he’s still in the city–, it might pick up on it and lead me to its whereabouts. That’s all I have going for me at this point. Well, that and my sheer fucking will. I’m not just gonna give up. Even if I find Matt dead, I’m bringing his body back with me from wherever I find him, to give him a proper resting place.

As of now, I’m running around the city, covering as much ground as I’m able, from rooftops to alleyways. I also asked Frank to alert me immediately if he by chance ran into anything related to the case, be it a person, an object, or just more information. I’ll take whatever helps me in finding Murdock and putting an end to this fucked up operation those lunatics are running. If only I could find them, or the place they use as headquarters, that would be swell. I swear to God, I will fucking burn down their lair with all of them monsters inside once I’m done with this shit. I don’t even care how many guilty shitheads I murder by doing that, they deserve to fucking die!

Okay, wait, stop. I need to calm down a little bit; this isn’t helping anybody. If I continue like this and I happen to find the assholes, I’ll go ballistic on them and will unintentionally get innocent people hurt as well. That’s not my goal here; I want to help and rescue as many victims as I can. I just hope that Matt is amongst them and not on the “unfortunate deaths” list. How the hell could I even explain that to Karen and Foggy? And the city… I couldn’t even phantom to fill in Daredevil’s shoes. I’m not ready for that, not in the least.

I don’t just need Murdock because he’s my boyfriend and I love him and all that, I need him as a partner too. New York needs its biggest protector. As he said that night when I last saw him: the innocent still need someone who will take care of them. I want to be that someone, but I don’t want to do it alone. I can’t, not yet. And Matt deserves way better than to die like this.

He deserves a fulfilling life, complete with happiness and love. I plan to give that to him to the best of my ability, no matter what it takes. But first, I need to find him and save him. This time it’s up to me. No damsel in distress; now I gotta play knight in shining armor. Fully decked out in my suit and with my trusty sai by my side. All I’m missing is the damn horse. Jesus, what a joke.

Wow, wow, wow, okay. Oh my God, this shit just picked a signal. And it’s Matt’s!!! I found him; I finally found him! Or, well, at least I found his _suit_. In the worst-case scenario I’m just gonna find the tracker alone, but if it’s the suit then at least it might provide me with a clue that can help me find him. This is good news, it’s what I’ve been waiting for all this time. All I gotta do now is follow the signal and find where it leads me to. I need to be careful, though, since I might be walking into the lion’s den. I don’t wanna get trapped like Murdock. Not before I find him and set him free…if he’s still alive. No, Mackenzie, no! Don’t think like that. Have a little faith, you bitch!

Yeah, I know, talking to myself like that is weird. But then again, so is addressing you, my otherworldly friend. So, let’s not dwell on matters that are unimportant at this moment. Wherever the chip is located, seems to be not too far from where I’m currently at. To be honest, this ain’t the prettiest part of the city. That’s the reason why I hadn’t found him until now, ‘cause I’ve been kind of avoiding these sketchy as hell places. Probably should have started searching here; I would have found him sooner then. I’m such a fucking idiot. Still, it’ll do me no good to regret my choices now; I have to stay focused on rescuing Matt. Once he’s safe I can punish myself as much as I want.

Alright then, here we are. After a bit of haphazardly parkouring through a few rooftops, I’ve finally arrived at what looks to be an abandoned apartment building. The view that offers the neighbor roof is of sturdy brick walls and boarded-up windows. Seems it’ll be hard to get in undetected. There must be a backdoor or some hidden entrance that’s used to get in and out. Maybe it’s accessible from the alley, ‘cause I see no way in from the top of the structure.

Guess I’ll have to get down anyway. Well, better get on my way. It doesn’t look like there’s much –or any– activity taking place inside, but then again that’s hard to discern from outside. If this is really their headquarters, then they surely got the place completely insulated. Don’t think they would like to be found out because any screams were audible from outside.

With as much caution as I can employ while hurrying on my way down, I get to the ground right next to the side of the building that faces the alley. It all seems sealed shut, but there must be some hidden crevice or latch. Whatever allows them to enter through a secret passage or doorway. I would rather not force my entrance and alert whoever is inside of my presence, so I need to be careful to not be heard. Still, that might not be enough, because I doubt that they would leave any access unguarded. No, they must have people standing vigilant at every corner. It’ll be a pain in the ass, but I’m not backing down after I managed to get this far. I’m retrieving the tracker and what’s attached to it. Hopefully, I will find Murdock as well.

And just in case I walk into the worst outcome possible, I have Claire on alert to help me if necessary. Actually, I have her on speed dial, so I might just call her as soon as I see Murdock. To make sure he gets whatever aid he needs and I’m able to provide while we wait for backup. Yeah, that means that Mahoney is aware of the situation as well. Well, sort of, as much as it’s wise to let him know. I’m ready to flood this place with cops as soon as it’s safe for the victims. If I’m lucky, this will all end tonight. And if I’m not…then I’ll just keep looking for all of them. I’m not giving up, not until I’m either successful or dead.

Alright, after a close inspection of the perimeter, I think I found the entrance. The fucking thing was well hidden, but being Daredevil’s sidekick teaches you a trick or two. In this case, I’ve become really good at finding shit. He surely just would have felt it and located it faster than me, but I’m on my own on this one. Anyway, I finally managed to get it, but now comes the difficult part: navigating this building. It won’t only be hard because I don’t have Murdock by my side, guiding me through it and sensing where we need to go, but because I don’t know the place at all.

I have no idea how many rooms there are, what they have inside or where they are in relation to one another. I’ll have to check everything while blindly aiming for the room which holds Matthew, or at least his tracker. And that little piece of technology isn’t of much help anymore, so I’ll have to rely on myself entirely. That also means that I’ll likely come across thugs that I will have to subdue before they ring the alarm or capture me.

Thankfully, after I was kidnapped and tortured by the psycho, Matt decided to teach me a variety of chokeholds. That way I can incapacitate my adversaries without killing them. Since I’m small and not as strong as some criminals, fighting them might not be always the best option, so instead, I’ll just try to knock them out and get them out of my way. And it’s proven to come in handy today, as I have been choking every guard I’ve come across so far (which are three in total).

They aren’t that many, but it’s better to be inconspicuous while searching the place. I don’t want to cause a ruckus and alert everybody that I’m here. I’m supposed to be stealthy as fuck. Besides, in the fucking maze of corridors that is this building, I have no idea what I can find when I turn a corner. If I had Matt’s powers, I could’ve heard or felt the men standing guard, but I’m not so lucky (although that is relative since Matt _is_ blind despite the enhanced senses, so he’s not that lucky either).

Up until now, I have only spied some empty rooms and some others that hold passed-out or high-as-a-kite people. No kidnapping victims as of yet, unfortunately. Neither have I seen or heard Matt, and my anxiety is steadily rising. I cleared two floors already, but there are still two more to go. This fucking place seems to never end and it’s fucking unnerving. I should also mention that this dingy apartment building is filthy and feels claustrophobic. I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw rats running around. Although, then again, we have rats at the office, so I’m not in the best position to be judgmental– Hold on, the fuck is wrong with me? These people run a human trafficking operation! Well, allegedly, since I have yet to see anyone being kept in here against their will.

Besides, I haven’t interrogated anyone yet since I haven’t found anyone worthy. The thugs I put to sleep surely either didn’t know shit or wouldn’t spill the beans, so they were not worth more than being left unconscious. No, what I need is a higher-up, someone at the top who can give me the information I need. Speaking of that, I just released guard number four from my chokehold and left him lying by the staircase. This is floor number three and I can clearly hear a whole set of different noises coming from the rooms here than I did from the ones on the floors below. Rustling, whispering, _whimpering_ sounds that give me goosebumps. I think the victims are being held here.

As soon as I tentatively open the first door to my left, I peek inside and see the barely moving bodies of three young-looking people. Their appearance is ghastly; they seem to be emaciated and bruised, but there’s something strange about their behavior. I think they are drugged, although I can’t say for sure without getting closer. That could prove to be rather dangerous since I can’t be sure how they will react to my presence and approach. They could freak out and alert other people. I think it’s best to find Murdock first and keep disabling guards before calling Mahoney.

I move forward down the corridor, looking into every room and seeing more of the same I saw in the first one. These _must_ be the victims, but where the hell is Matthew? As I come to the last door of the hallway, I have an intuitive feeling come over me, something weird that tells me **this** is _it_. Matt _**has**_ to be on the other side. Slowly, fearing what I might find inside, I turn the knob and crack the door open just a bit.

I can hear a faint grunting sound –guttural and broken– coming from the room. Encouraged by it, I push the piece of rotten wood further to reveal a dark room that it’s only illuminated by the light flooding in from the hallway at my back. On the floor, lying on his stomach and with his four extremities tied behind his back is a man that looks quite familiar… Fuck me, I think it’s Matt. What the fuck is going on here? What the fuck did they do to him?!

Once the initial shock passes, I silently close the door behind me. This way I can have some privacy to talk to him. The room is encased in darkness until I find a light switch and turn on a dirty bulb that barely shines warm light down on us. As I slowly approach Matt, not wanting to startle or scare him (since I don’t know how much out of it he is), his body tenses up in anticipation.

I don’t think he has recognized me yet, otherwise, he would have said something. He must be expecting something bad, that I don’t even want to really know but just imagining it makes my blood boil. Before crouching in front of him, I let him know it’s me and not whoever has been doing this to him. “Matty? It’s me, Mackenzie”, I try tentatively, not even sure if he’s conscious enough to understand.

“…Kenzie?” He asks, uncertain, his voice barely above a whisper. He sounds incredulous and relieved at the same time. And when the situation completely registers in his mind, his body relaxes immediately, right before tensing up once more. He’s probably worried about my presence here and how dangerous that is for me. For God’s sake, this man… Anyway, I better get started on the restrictions put on him, so we can get the fuck out of here sooner than later. But just as I'm about to close my fingers around one of the latches of the cuffs on his wrists and ankles, he begins to babble in a rush, telling me to stop. He’s having trouble speaking clearly, probably due to the position he’s in and whatever they gave him to keep him incapacitated.

“Someone’s coming”, he mutters with difficulty, “to give me the next dose”. The end of the sentence is as painful for me to hear as it probably was for him to say, but I understand nonetheless. I need to hide and catch the culprit in the act, disable them, and _then_ get Murdock free. Assuring him that I’ll deal with the threat, I quickly get up as soon as I can hear footsteps coming from down the hall. I turn the light off and put my back to the wall next to the door so that when it’s opened, it will block me from the newcomer’s view until they are well inside the room. That’s when I will close the door behind them as stealthily as possible and choke them until they pass out. Perfect plan, hopefully, perfect execution as well.

While Matt and I both expectantly wait for the person to arrive, we can hear the heavy footsteps growing louder the closer they get to us. Not even ten seconds later, the door is opened and thankfully doesn’t hit me in the face. From what I could see through the slit between the door and the frame, it’s a man. He doesn’t even bother with turning on the lights, finding the source of light offered by the hallway to be more than enough to execute his actions. He kneels next to Matt and is about to inject him when I swiftly close the door without making a sound and step behind him, instantly latching onto his throat and administering enough pressure to cut the blood circulation going to his brain.

The big man, dressed like a fucking half-assed thug, struggles for a few seconds before going lax. It seems that Murdock is progressively regaining his senses because it takes him pleading with me to stop for me to realize that I’m still holding on to the unconscious man. Being made aware of what I was doing, continuing to choke him until death while being consumed by my thoughts and feelings, I drop him like a sack of potatoes. Knowing what the man was about to do, and what he had surely been doing for the past few days, made me so angry and mad that I got lost in my murderous intent. The same one that drove me to kill the psycho. At least this time I could put a stop to it before crossing the line, although it took Matt’s pleas for me to do so.

It takes me a half a second to recover from the horror of almost killing someone, but soon enough I’m helping Matthew out of his restrictions. Meanwhile, I can’t help but ask if he knows what they have been injecting him with, to which he responds that he’s not sure but that the drug kept him feeling hazy for a couple of hours with each dose. He also reveals that, whatever it is, it messed with his enhanced senses as well. Fucking bastards, they surely must know who he is and turns this whole mess into a much more complicated problem to solve.

After freeing Murdock, I help him get into a sitting position, although he has a bit of trouble staying upright. In order to help him be a little more comfortable, I pull an armchair so he can rest his back against it. And it is now that I notice not only that he’s nearly baked, wearing just his black boxers, but that he’s covered in bruises and cuts. What the hell did they do to him? Before I can ask about that, I remind myself that I have to deal with something more important first: how many people know that he’s Daredevil. It takes him a minute or two to gather his thoughts, but when he finally does, he answers. “A woman. She’s the one who overpowered me and stripped me off my suit”.

Well, at least now I know whose ass I have to kick thoroughly before we leave. What makes my fury and hate aggravate, are the things he starts to tell me were done to him since he was taken hostage by these people. The very same nightmarish things that they have also been doing to the other victims. It turns out that the woman he mentioned runs some sick and twisted “obedience school” for people who are to be sold on the black market.

That means that this bitch has young people kidnapped for her so that she can “train” them to be perfect little submissives to be sold to the highest bidder. I swear I would throw up right here, right now, if it weren’t because I don’t have time to do that. I need to help the victims before anyone finds out that I’m here. More importantly, the guards won’t stay “asleep” forever. Still, I won’t leave until I find that cunt and confront her about what she has been doing not only to innocent kids, teenagers, and young adults but to my frickin’ _**boyfriend**_ too.

Matt has been systematically drugged and tortured, in the hopes that he would be broken to become a pet for that crazy bitch. But she made a big mistake, and that was not considering _me_. I’m gonna make her regret being born. Matt was unable to fight and to escape thanks to her. He was beaten black and blue with who knows what kind of tools. He was held captive to be turned into a fucking sex slave. But despite all of that, there’s one single thing I can be sort of thankful for, and that is that he wasn’t going to be sold like the others.

Yes, it’s horrifically selfish of me to feel this way, to be grateful that the monster behind all of this chose to keep him for herself instead of making good money out of him, but otherwise, I might have lost him forever. Although I do think that there’s still hope for those who have been sold, if any were at all already, since they must keep some kind of records in here. I’ll just have to go ask the woman in charge then. And by “asking” I mean kicking the shit out of her until she gives up all the intel.

I seriously can’t believe this whole operation has been run by some kind of fucking dominatrix, but I don't even care anymore either. I just want to put an end to this and take Matthew home with me. To do that, I need to find her first. Knowing how short of time we are, I tell Murdock about my plan, letting him know that I have Mahoney at the ready to swarm the place as soon as I make sure it’s safe for the victims.

We wouldn’t want them to get hurt amidst all the mess that could erupt from a possible confrontation between cops and criminals, nor do we want a hostage situation or for the culprits to just split. No, I want them all behind bars and the victims back home safely. So, I’ll continue to litter the floor with knocked out thugs until I reach the final boss battle and kick her ass as well. Once we make sure it’s safe, we’ll call the detective sergeant.

Matt hesitantly agrees with me, obviously being self-conscious and aware that he’s still in no position to take part in the action. He also adds that he believes his suit to be in possession of the woman and that he thinks her office is upstairs. Of course, the floor that I haven’t checked yet is where I may find the person responsible for all of this. Without a second thought, I grab the syringe that was meant to be used on Matt and tell him to wait here for me. He’s in no condition to stand up yet, let alone come with me and get involved in whatever mess I might find upstairs. It’s best if he stays put for now to gather strength for when we’ll have to undoubtedly leave before the police arrive.

Letting him know that I’ll be back as soon as possible, I embark on what I hope to be the last strenuous situation of the night. I make my trip out the dreary room, down the shabby hallway, and up the seedy stairs as quickly as I can, minding the amount of noise I make. While stepping into the new corridor, I notice that most of the doors are closed, but the closest one to my left is opened ajar. I spy inside that one and see a man in a dirty lab coat preparing a bunch of syringes. So, this must be from where the other goons get the drug to dose the victims. Lucky me. No need to choke anyone else as long as I manage to inject them with the stuff.

I walk in without making a sound and don’t waste a second before stabbing the man in the neck with the needle. Hopefully, he won't die from it, I don’t have time to carefully administer that stuff. Grabbing the man as he starts to pass out, I leave him on the floor before stocking myself with as many syringes as I can carry. I don’t know how many I’ll need since I have no idea how many people are on this floor. Better safe than sorry.

It takes me like five minutes, and not all of the “knocking out assholes” cases were successful (some I had to either punch or choke until the lost consciousness), but I’m finally standing in front of the last closed door. The very same which presumably belongs to the bitch’s office. At this point, I don’t even bother with stealth –although I probably should since this woman managed to subdue _Daredevil_ on her own–. I just kick the door open to find a woman looking to be in her late thirties, dressing way too fashionably and elegant for such a rundown place, and seating behind a large desk. Jackpot.

No words are exchanged, probably because my outfit gives away my intentions, and she goes to grab something from behind the desk. Oh, no you don’t, you fucking cunt. I run at her, lunging over the desk, and tackle not only the woman but her chair as well onto the ground. Now, this is the moment where my rage takes over. Feeling the adrenaline pump through my veins, I grab the woman, lift her, and throw her across the room with what seems inhuman strength. I’m just so beyond fucking pissed of at this point; I can only see **red**. And as she attempts to get up, I walk towards her with long strides and kick her in the stomach as soon as I reach her crumpled body.

All the emotions that have been raising a storm inside me (fear, hate, worry, anger, panic, grief, disgust, and more) finally pour out of me in waves as I kick and punch the woman on the floor. I can’t even see anymore through the blurriness of my tears, but I continue anyway, knowing that I ain’t missing my target. I can hear screams and other noises coming from her, but they don’t deter me in the least. How dare she touch Matt? How dare she hurt him like that? She wanted to take him away from me and keep him to herself, locked up inside a cage only to be allowed out of it to pleasure her when she saw fit. I should just fucking kill her for even thinking of that.

It’s only when I start to discern a second voice that I regain some of my awareness. Someone is yelling at me, worried and scared, but it’s not the woman. It’s Matt. Once the owner of the voice finally registers in my brain, I stop completely and look towards the door. He’s kneeling at the entrance, supporting his weight against the frame. He’s pleading once again, begging me not to kill her. The thing is, that she knows his secret identity. And although she’s arguably not that much of a sick monster as the serial killer was, I can’t just let her go with the knowledge of who Daredevil is behind the mask. Despite how much I despise her for what she’s done to all the victims, I don’t want to kill her too, but I don’t think I have an alternative unless I want her to spread the truth…

Wait, hold on a second, I just remembered something. While looking at the bloodied bitch underneath me, I take out my burner phone and call Claire. She might be able to procure me with the knowledge I need. After all, she’s a nurse, so she might be able to tell me a thing or two. Fortunately, it doesn’t take her long before picking up, and without beating around the bush, I ask her how I can put someone into a coma. She’s initially taken aback by my question, but after pressuring her a little bit, she starts giving off different ways that can cause comatose states in people. All it took was explaining the situation as fast (yet thoroughly) as I could, including Matt’s involvement and some of the victims’ young ages.

The first methods she lists are useless to me since they are more medically orientated and they involve drugs that I don’t know if I can find here. Besides, I wouldn’t want to fuck up and accidentally kill her. It’s only when she mentions cutting off circulation that I speak up again, asking if choking could be used for that. After she says “yes”, I thank her and end the call before she can’t keep talking. Now I know what I have to do.

Matt, who had been listening to the conversation, begins to attempt to reason with me once again, but I cut him off harshly. “You asked me not to kill her, so I won’t. Still, she knows who you are and this is the best option left”, I explain coldly, turning my back to him. I don’t want to see the expression he must be wearing on his face right, ‘cause I know it could dissuade me from doing what I have to. Without paying any more attention to him and his words, I crouch down and grab the woman by the neck, applying enough pressure to stop the flow of blood to the brain for the period that Claire said would be likely needed to induce a prolonged coma. Sweet dreams, you fucking bitch, you got off way easier than you deserve.

I begrudgingly release the limp body, ignoring the strong desire to just break her neck and be rid of her. Instead, I focus on calling Mahoney to let him know the place is clear for the cops to come. After ending the call, I turn to face Murdock once more, noticing the conflicting emotions showing on his face. We don’t have time for a long discussion and lecture about morality, we need to get the hell out of here before the police arrest us as well. Before I can say anything, though, I notice something out of the corner of my eye. There’s a big safe on the side of the room, which surely must hold inside the information that the police will need for the case. Thus, we should probably check it out before leaving, to make sure that there isn’t sensible information about Daredevil’s true identity.

“We should check that in case she saved something relating to you”, I comment while approaching the object in question. “I just have to find the combination–” I don’t even get to finish the sentence before Matt interrupts me by saying “let me”. What does he mean now? Before I can ask what he’s doing, he stumbles to where I am and almost trips before I catch him. He asks me to help him get on his knees so he can access the safe more easily. I do so, although I feel skeptical about whatever he intends to try. Matt places his left hand, fingertips only, against the cold metal of the safe’s door. The other hand he uses it to turn the lock. Keeping his face close to the surface, he listens intently at the sounds the lock makes as he turns it one way and then the opposite.

“Wait, you can crack a safe?” I ask dumbly while observing him, incredulous yet fascinated. He only looks at me with an expression that says “not right now, sweetheart, I’m working this shit open”, which makes me brush off the need to get an actual answer from him. “Of course you can”, I end up muttering to myself, wondering why am I even surprised that my boyfriend with enhanced senses can hear a lock turning inside a strongbox’s metal door. What should be more astounding is the fact that he can do it after being consistently drugged for days. That’s some skill right there.

Soon enough he manages to crack it open, revealing a bunch of different things. Documents, money, jewelry, other stuff I’m not even sure about, and the Daredevil suit. Bingo. I take it out once Matthew steps back from the safe, and help him to get it on. We are not walking out of here with Murdock only wearing his underwear. While he finishes suiting up on his own, I browse through the documents but find nothing regarding him. That’s a relief. What’s even better is that the papers _do_ have information about the other victims. This is just what the police need to make their job easier. Still, it won’t be in safe hands until Mahoney himself comes to pick the hefty stack up, so it’s better to lock the safe again and send the sergeant the combination via text.

Speaking of that, my phone chimes in, letting me know that the cops are about to arrive. God bless Brett and the moral code that makes him warn us so that we can leave and not get arrested. Closing the safe’s door behind me, I tell Matt about the good news. By now, he’s already fully dressed and ready to go. He seems to have less trouble standing up and moving, which will help greatly on our way back home. As we start hearing the sirens approaching, we begin to walk down the hallway on our way to the stairs. Our best bet is to climb up to the roof and leave from there. Turns out, according to Matt, that there is a way to access the roof after all, only that it wasn’t visible from my point of view when I first arrived. But before we can go, I need to do something.

I tell Matt to head up and wait for me while I give a heads up to the victims about the oncoming “visitors”. He is about to argue but decides to stay silent and follow my instructions. As he goes up the stairs, I go down and start opening all the doors on the second floor. When I find the most lucid victim of them all, I tell her that help is on the way and that really soon their nightmare will be over.

She then timidly asks, with fear in her eyes, about the woman. “You won’t have to worry about her anymore. I avenged all of you”. It’s cryptic and cheesy, but I can’t help it. No matter how cliché it may sound, it’s true. That’s the last thing I say before bolting upstairs to the rooftop, catching up with my awaiting boyfriend. Without further ado, and after I ask Matt the combination for the safe to text it to Mahoney, we split from the building.

* * *

Well, hello there. It’s been a few days since I found and rescued Murdock. The cops are handling the case without problems as far as I know. The victims have been returned to their families and all the criminals in the building have been arrested. The woman? She’s in the hospital, in a coma, and she’s unlikely to ever wake up again. We still haven’t talked about what happened to Matt, nor what I did to the bitch. He’s processing his trauma, so I don’t want to ruin his progress by pushing him for answers. He’ll tell me more when he’s ready. For the time being, I’m content with just helping whenever and as much as I can.

The most we talked about the whole ordeal is when he asked me how the story went on my side. I told him everything, from the time he disappeared that night to the moment I found him. Only relevant thing, regarding the subject, that he commented on was that he was grateful for me having the idea to put trackers on the suits, as it came to be quite handy. He even said that he would thank Elektra and Melvin for helping as soon as he got the chance. All in all, I think things will be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> As I stated already multiple times, this is just me not wanting to part with the characters but not wanting to commit to another long fanfic as well. Also, as opposite to Daring the Devil, these short pieces are supposed to be more lighthearted and fun than their predecessor. As always, thanks for reading.


End file.
